Shironeko
by Konan of the Origami
Summary: I'm a vampire mentored by the greatest woman to ever live. And yet I'm confused at to what she, along with a very handsome man, really feels about me. And I still have hell to go through that I have to fight. I truely wish I was dead.
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't remember where I was, what I was doing there, or why I was bleeding profusely. I just remember falling from the sky and hitting the ground. I guess, in retrospect, that I could have deducted that I was bleeding because of the great fall. Of course I would later find out that the fall wasn't the reason, but I still could have blamed it on such at the time. But I didn't. I was confused. I wasn't even sure what my name was, but instinct told me that when called upon, I would know the answer. Which I did.

But the warm pool of blood that soon surrounded me in my crater that I had made invited me to stay and sleep. The air I could feel on my uncovered parts was cold, and my warm, smooth liquid, which oozed so slowly and bountifully out of me, caressed me into a snuggly damp wonderland. My long hair seemed to swim in it, and my head was heavy with the extra weight when I tried to lift it.

My body felt limp, and when I finally found the energy to sit up, my head hung back on my shoulders to hold the weight of my hair, thick and extra heavy with blood. I looked down into the puddle of it that I had made, coming from large gashes over the front of my body and legs. I wondered briefly how I had gotten them, not remembering anything before my fall. I suppose, now, that even if I had blamed my wounds from the impact of the fall, what had I landed on that made them?

My purple and gold yukata was soaked, and its vibrant colors and intricate designs were, again, soiled with blood. My hair, which was originally blue, was now a deep, velvety brown. My skin, which I was fairly sure was supposed to be a pale color, was also dark and discolored from the blood, some of it crusty and almost dry in some places, other places thick with fresh wetness.

My eyes were a dull gray, however I remember them being a bright, shiny emerald green. A sign of lifelessness.

My first thought when I saw myself was that wherever I was, if I was seen like this, anything would take the chance to prey on a weakened animal of my size, taking it as a free feast. I wasn't even sure if I had the energy, but I tried to turn into my animal form; a small cat, like a kitten, with snow white fur and big ice-blue eyes and two bushy tails. (Just try to imagine a snow white Kirara from Inuyasha with no markings and ice blue eyes. Abilities included, in fact.)

I groggily checked my surroundings in my new form. My breathing quickened in my small chest as I pushed myself onto all four of my feet. The weight on my paws seemed immense, though I knew it couldn't be that much. Again, my fur was badly tarnished with the blood—there was no white to be seen on me anymore. I would surely die if I did not get help.

When I looked around me, I seemed to be in someone's Japanese-style garden. There was an outdoor hallway surrounding it, with wooden floors and many rice-paper slide doors that no doubt led into beautifully decorated rooms. It would have been such a serene place, had I not landed rudely in the middle of it and ruined it with my blood and created a crater in the impact.

I staggered out of my hole and jumped, painfully, onto the platform of the wooden hallway. My tails were dragging on the ground behind me, leaving a clean trail of velvet red paint. I didn't get too far, either, before I fell against one of the wooden poles that kept the shelter over the hallway above my head. I slumped against it with force, feeling splinters loosen themselves in my badly matted fur. The thicker mane around my neck was more of a sponge, and my spine ached with its burden.

I was wheezing now, my eyes clenched tight, and only semi-aware that someone now stood over me, looking down at me with no emotion. I opened one eye and painfully craned my neck to look upwards at a regal man, wearing traditional garb of the soul society—shihakusho. He was definitely a captain, too, from his haori. He had an emotionless face, with both dark hair and dark eyes. His hair was long and tightly fit into a white ceremonial kenseigan. Around his neck was a seemingly expensive light blue scarf, fit perfectly loose around his shoulders and allowed to trail behind him to just above his waist. He was a seemingly handsome man.

He began to reach down to me, to pick me up I suppose, but I hissed at him in a feral manner and shrank into myself. I was taught to stay away from soul reapers and anything to do with the Soul Society. He stopped, but didn't take his hand away, and studied me a moment before continuing to reach for me, deciding something so small couldn't hurt him so badly. I knew I had about three seconds of energy left for my following move, but it would scare him off for sure.

My small feline body enveloped itself in blue flames, and my large form made its appearance. My fur was still red, soaked with blood, but it only added to my ferocity. I was almost the size of a horse now, and my saber-toothed mouth opened for a roar. But it never came out. All that escaped my jaws was a loud whine, followed by me wincing and the flames licking themselves over me to bring me back to my kitten form. I collapsed on the ground, wheezing even heavier.

The man only stared at me in awe, amazed that something like myself even existed. He looked around quickly, to see if anyone else had seen the spectacle, and reached down and picked me up. My bloodied fur rubbed on his white haori, and no doubt it would stain.

He held a hand over me, shielding me from bright lights, and holding me gently in his other cupped hand. His hand smelled like faint perfume, and I snuggled into it. It was much better than the thick smell of my own blood, which at this point was overwhelming. Wherever this guy was taking me, I couldn't stop him from doing it, so I'd just go with it.

The gentle motion of him walking suddenly stopped, and I lowered my ears to my head and cracked my eyes open. He was handing me over to some lady with long dark hair that was braided in front of her under her chin, and soft blue eyes. What I thought at that moment was absurd, but it happens—they were going to cook me up and eat me since I was left for dead anyway.

But I wasn't going to let that happen.

I let go of my cat form and let myself transform back into my human self. The transformation istelf brought great relief onto me, me no longer having to use the last of my strength to hold the form. With it came great relief to my body. Of course this surprised the lady, and she fell backwards and onto the ground, me landing on her diaphragm. Obviously, I no longer had clothes, as I had left them at the crash site when I formorly transformed. The woman let out a soft cry, more of surprise than anything, and I let the searing pain of my wounds and my great loss of blood take me into blissful unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

I swam out of consciousness to find myself alone, much to my liking. Not that I like being alone, though; I actually hated being alone. But it's for the fact that when I sat up to observe my surroundings, I screamed in pain. Before, when my wounds leaked endless blood, my body was pretty much numb. Now that they were starting to scab over, they hurt like hell. It was as if the flames with which I had befriended and used to transform had turned on me and began to burn the flesh on my legs and fore torso.

When my screaming fest was over, I remained motionless, sitting upright. I did not want to cause myself anymore pain. I hated pain more than most anything. With that, I began remembering what happened before I fell unconscious and study where I was. I fell from the sky, a guy found me, and he handed me over to a woman, and I passed out. Now I was in a room lined with many beds, which were all empty of course, and I was in the bed closest to the window on the far side of the room from the door. It looked a lot like a hospital from the old days, when modern equipment was not yet invented.

I turned my head slowly to look out of the window. Beyond the blue cotton drapes was a vast white city surrounded by a large white wall, and beyond the wall a more colorful, yet more shabby city, going on for miles on end. I was still inside the Soul Society, then. Not only was I inside of the Soul Society, but so was I in the Seireitei, which was supposed to have a barrier around it. Had I broken through it?

A sudden shuffling of hurried footsteps made me whip my head around to the door on the other end of the room, and I stifled a cry of pain. The door slid open and gave a loud crack as it hit its limit, and in the doorway was a panting young lady. I hadn't seen her before, but she had short, messy silver hair. On one side of her face, a strand of her hair was fed through a string of beads, and on her left arm was an armband. She was a lieutenant.

She hurried in through the door, shutting it harshly behind her, and slid to a stop next to my bed. She checked all around me, lifting my arms gently to check my sides, and I was perplexed by her actions. Not only that, but my eyes locked on her neck, which slenderly curved between her jaw and torso. My own loss of blood had made me incredibly thirsty, and the pulsing vein in her neck made my mouth dampen in expectancy for a meal, even though I was sure I had one the day before.

Just a mouthful of blood would sustain me for well over a week. But I was a vampire that did not like drinking. I hated it. I was always told hurting another person was bad. Making them bleed was bad. But my survival depended on it, and I HAD to do it. Not only did I not like it because I knew it was a bad thing, but BECAUSE I thought that way, I had to be lured into drinking when I was thirsty. Which meant that it had to be a guy, and we had to get slightly intimate. But as soon as I got my fill, I would heal the marks I made and, if I chose, I would use my venom to erase their memory of me completely. Of course, if you're bitten by a vampire, you don't turn into one yourself. That only happens if the vampire you're bitten by decides to use a special type of venom, different from the memory erasing one. Then you're shit out of luck.

But such severe blood loss had made me so extremely thirsty, and her flawless neck was just calling for me to bite it, but I looked away immediately in distaste. Never would I be so easily baited into drinking, and never would I drink from a fellow woman, anyway. In my mind's eye, it looked slightly odd.

After checking me over, the woman straightened herself and looked at me, and I turned my head to her, sensing she wanted me to look back. She smiled when she knew my attention was all for her. "My name is Isane. I'm the lieutenant of Squad four of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Can you tell me your name?"

"Shironeko," I replied horsely.

"Would you like something to drink? I understand you would need something in your condition."

My eyes dropped momentarily to her neck, then back to her face. "You wouldn't have what I need."

The expression on her face was genuinely perplexed. "We have a lot at our disposal. I'm sure whatever it is you need, we have."

I'd give it a shot, anyway. "Do you have any blood?" I asked quietly.

Isane gave me an odd look and hurried out of the room. I wasn't sure if she was running away or going to see if she really did have any blood. Either way, I didn't expect her to come back with the woman that the man from before handed me to, the woman with the long braid out in front of her.

With her entrance, Isane on her heals, the first thing she did was flash me the biggest, warmest, friendliest smile I had ever seen in my life. Right when I looked at her, all of my apprehension and enmity was ridden from me, and I relaxed unnaturally. Anyone could tell how kind and caring she was just from the feeling that emanated from her and the shy but dutiful way she carried herself.

"I'm sorry to be so rude," she said very softly, "but did you ask for blood as nourishment?"

And I believe she really did think she was being rude, even though she asked the question in the nicest possible way. "Yeah."

"May I ask why?"

I had to make a face at her. I thought that as soon as someone said they wanted blood, people assume you're a vampire, especially someone from the Soul Society. "Because I'm a vampire."

By the look on the woman's face, I supposed that my thoughts about what people assume were wrong. She took a step away from me. "Is blood in a vacuum sealed pack alight?"

I nodded. "I don't like drinking from people. I would actually prefer it if it were in a bag."

The woman flashed another big smile at me. I could tell she was somewhat relieved with that statement. She pulled out two packets of blood, like what you see at a hospital, from her kosode. Smiling back at her, but much weaker, I took the packets from her. I used my nail to poke a small hole in the bottom of the plastic bag, and I pressed it to my lips to where the curved end of it fit perfectly to the curve of my mouth. Surprisingly, the blood was warm and rich as it filled my mouth. It tasted delicious. It was not as nutritious as fresh blood was, and I would not be able to survive solely off of it, but it would help me recover as quickly and efficiently as vampires are supposed to.

The woman watched as I filled my mouth with the liquid, some escaping my lips and steaming down to my chin. I was glad she had given me two packets, as I would need it because of my blood loss. One mouthful would not do. But both packets provided me with four mouthfuls altogether, and I was quite full by then, and my mood and temperament would be a lot harder to beat down now that I had a full stomach and was no longer thirsty.

"What's your name, anyway?" I asked, addressing the kind woman.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "That must have been so rude of me not introducing myself. My name is Retsu Unohana."

"Not at all," I said, returning the apologizing smile she gave me with my blood-ridden one. I quickly wiped my mouth off with my arm.

"It's just..." Retsu began. "We haven't seen a vampire in well over seven hundred years. We personally thought they were extinct."

I looked at her questioningly. "Really? Well, I'm obviously right here. I might not be in the best of shape, but by golly, I'm alive."

Retsu and Isane both stifled a laugh. "Why is it you don't like drinking from people?" Isane asked. "Vampires are supposed to love it."

"Well, I don't," I said with sudden acid. "I hate it. I was taught hurting people, making them bleed, weakening them, was bad. I don't like to be bad. I want to be good. But I can't. I'm forever an evil creature the depends on the evil acts for survival. I'd just stop and whither away, but my instinct for blood is too strong..."

Both Retsu and Isane took another step back at this point, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. I've never drank from a girl. I take to much pride in the female existence to ever harm one of my own. Besides, there's a certain way I have to drink blood because of my beliefs, and I need a guy to do it."

"So I take it that if you stay here, you'll want the packages of blood for your meals?" Retsu asked.

I nodded. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble. I only need blood once a week. From now on, only one package, too. A half a package, to be more specific. But, for the next week or two, I'll probably need half a packet every other day, maybe up to once a day."

Retsu and Isane looked at each other. "We'll let your guardian know that."

Her words stumped me. "Wait, what?"

"While your under recovery," Retsu explained, "you'll have a guardian, and you will stay with that guardian. Your guardian will monitor everything you do and eat, be responsible for regulating your meals, giving you exercise, helping you bathe, and the like."

"Normally the guardian would be a member of squad four, since squad four members are used to the needs of the ill and such," Isane added. "But since you're...different, you'll need a stronger and more responsible guardian."

"I'm not going to go around killing everyone, if that's what you're thinking," I said, hurt.

"We know," Retsu said, chancing to sit on the edge of my bed. "But it's a precaution. Plus, there are still vampire hunters, and who better to protect you?"

I snorted. "I've never seen a vampire hunter, never will."

"There's still a chance," Retsu said, a little harder than I knew she meant to. "And he volunteered, anyway."

"Who volunteered?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki. If you can remember, he's the man who brought you here. He's the Captain of Squad six."

I hid a smile. So I got the sexy one, then? "That's fine, I guess," I said with fake disappointment. "I actually would have preferred a girl, because there's a risk I might bite him when I'm thirsty." I thought of that at the last second.

Isane and Retsu exchanged looks again. "We've realized that," Isane admitted. "But he'll be able to handle himself. He's fairly strong."

Yay!

And I don't know how he knew to come in right then. He might have been listening to us, or he might have been somehow signaled by Retsu or Isane through awesome mind powers of some sort. I don't know, but his timing was amazing. He slid open the door with grace, closing it with equal as much. "And here he is."

Byakuya strode over to my beside rather quickly, standing next to Isane to examine me. I had no clothes on, but I was bandaged from my collar to my feet, so there wasn't much to look at other than those and the blood stains on them.

"How is she doing?" he asked Retsu in a silky voice. Like he couldn't ask me that.

"She's recovering faster than normal," Retsu answered him. "But, um, there are a lot of things you need to know about her."

She pulled Byakuya out of the room and briefed him, while Isane stayed in the room to keep me company. She seemed a little fidgety.

"I'm not going to eat you," I said, breaking the awkward silence that had formed. My voice made her jump.

"I know," she said quietly, keeping her eyes off of me.

"So...if I'm ill, shouldn't I stay here?"

"Well, normal patients would," Isane explained. "But since your injuries were so...advanced, you have to have normal exercise to keep your blood flowing and constant care. Squad four is too busy to have a patient in need of constant care."

I looked around and gave her a look. There was no one else in this room.

"I mean on the battlefield," Isane clarified. "It may not be full now, but it could be in just a second. We need to keep the beds open for injured squad members and special cases."

I snorted. "Gee, thanks."

Isane cracked a small smile, and I smiled in return, and somehow we ended up laughing until Retsu reentered with Byakuya trailing her. Byakuya seemed much more interested in me than he was before. Through his eyes, anyway. His face remained emotionless, but his eyes looked me over with delight. So...he knew I was a vampire and liked it...? I was getting the impression that everyone was afraid of vampires.

"So your name is Shironeko?" he asked, interest lightly sprinkling his voice. "It fits you; 'white cat'."

"Thanks, I guess," I said with uncertainty.

"So, let's go."

Retsu looked at him, amazed.

"W-what?" I said, just as awed. "Now?"

Byakuya nodded. "Come on, then."

"But it hurts when I move!"

He held out his hand. "I'll help you."

Retsu intervened, putting out her arm. "I told you if you wanted to take her now, you'd have to be careful and understanding of her needs. That means you'll have to carry her."

He moved her arm out of the way and in one motion scooped me up into his arms and cradled me to his chest. I let out a small cry as he grabbed my legs, and it felt like a scab had torn itself under the bandages. I didn't like pain.

I quickly wrapped my arms around Byakuya's neck, nuzzling into his scarf. "I'm sorry if that hurt," he said quietly, then looked over at Retsu and said, "Once a week, right?"

She made a face. "I'll supply you with the material. For the next two weeks, half a packet a day. After that, once a week."

Byakuya said no more. He did not say thank you. He did not say good bye. He just left with me in his arms. Which I thought was rude. I, however, managed a small wave over his shoulder. Though painful, I still did it. At least I took the time.

He carried me through many hallways, down stairs, through doors, until we came to an outdoor hallway that lined a garden. It looked similar to the place I had landed. In fact, it WAS the place I had landed. The hole in the ground was sloppily filled in with replacement dirt, but grass was already starting to grow over it. Soon it would be a distant memory to everyone, but to the ground, it would always be scarred under its green sleek fur. Almost like when a cat has surgery, and it has to be shaved, and when the fur grows back, there's still a scar under the fur. Looking down at myself, I'd figure I'd be the same way.

He slid open one of the rice-paper doors, and behind the door was what I had expected when I first saw them; an intricately and expensively decorated room. There was a bed already made in the middle of the room. It was a futon, but the blankets looked hand made and really expensive. They reminded me somewhat of my yukata, as they were gold and purple and had similar designs on them. I wanted that yukata back, speaking of which.

"Where are my former clothes?" I asked.

Byakuya set me down onto the clean and freshly made bed. "They have been sent to be refurbished."

"To whom?" I asked quickly. That yukata was special to me. My absolute -idol- gave me that yukata, hand made by her from my two favorite colors. I loved it more than I loved myself.

"You'll see in a week or two when it's done."

I frowned. I wanted my yukata.

"But I have something else for you to wear," he said, walking over to a pair of sliding doors that I deducted were a closet. He slid them open, and hung, spread out like you see in those Japanese movies, was the most beautiful kimono I had ever seen. And they were even my favorite colors, like the blankets—purple and gold. I think he knew those were my favorite colors. But the kimono had four layers, all made out of the finest silk.

"I can't accept that," I said in awe. And there was no way I could. This kimono had to be REALLY expensive.

"As long as you are staying with me, you will dress like a noble, as I."

"You're a noble?"

He didn't answer me. But how was I supposed to know he was a noble? I was never taught anything about nobles, so of course there was no way I would have known he was one. So, noble meant 'rich', right? Well, even so, I was also taught never to accept anything I couldn't repay if I ruined it.

"Do you have something less...expensive?"

"You will wear this kimono. The thickness of it will keep away outside infection from your wounds, and the inner layers of it may act as extra bandages if something happens and it can not be treated right away."

Smart AND handsome. Not too often you find those. A little on the non-sentimental side, though. His voice was silky, but it had the same face as his expression.

He slid the doors closed. "I want you to rest for now. When you have strength enough to move around on your own, I want you to put on the kimono." He walked over to the door to the room. "I have to inspect the perimeter I am assigned—a few hours after that I have a meeting, so I will not be back for awhile. Rest." He left.

So, I was alone in his room then. Fun, right? No. Not fun. The only thing I had to do was rest, so that's what I did. And it was on and off rest, too. I must have fallen asleep and woken up a dozen times in just one hour. After a while of that, you can imagine how boring that is. Which is why, even though I was stiff, and even though it hurt to move even and inch, I stood up. Yeah, my legs hurt badly when my weight was put on them. But hey! That's what my cat for was for! I had four legs in that form, two of which were semi-okay. So guess what I did? Kitten form! Yay! Guess what else I did? Let's just say I wasn't going to stay in that room and do nothing.

I was Dora the Explorer!

It was a slow go, though. I wondered what Byakuya would think when he saw I was gone with my bandages on the floor of his room as I crept through the hallways and corridors and peeked into rooms. When I got used to the pain, I was able to move more quickly and efficiently.

At one point, I was spotted by a happy-looking girl that had brown hair tied into a bun. She was a lieutenant, from the band around her left arm, and she seemed really sweet. I remember how her face lit up when she saw me.

"Oh, a kitty! Here, Kitty kitty!" she said sweetly, bending down and holding a hand out for me to come and sniff. Which I did out of courtesy. She actually smelled nice. Like peaches. I let her pet me, and I played around with her as she got a long weed to dangle in front of me. I don't know why cats like it, and I don't even know why -I- like it, but it's somewhat mesmerizing. Of course she was gentle with me, because she saw all of the bloody, crusty scars on my belly and back legs. But my short time with her was enjoyable. And then mister 'noble' came marching along the corridor.

I jumped, VERY PAINFULLY, behind another door into a room of darkness, as he walked by, and the girl ended up calling for me, which made Byakuya stop and inquire to what she was doing.

"There was a little kitten I was playing with. The poor thing was all scarred, but I think you scared it off..." She was intimidated by him.

He looked at her strangely. "Momo, you're a lieutenant. Don't you think lieutenants have more important work to do?"

"Y-yes sir."

She hurried off, and Byakuya stood there a moment longer to see if he could spot the little kitten the Momo had mentioned. Of course he couldn't see me, so he marched on.

And I trailed Byakuya as silently and efficiently as I could. The stiffness was starting to leave me, and I was once again becoming used to the pain that came with each step.

When Byakuya finally got to his destination, he walked into a long room. A lot of people were already in there, all of them captains. Counting, there were thirteen, including Byakuya. At the far end of the room, sitting on a pillow, was a really old bald man with a cross-shaped scar on his head. I saw Retsu close to him, second on the left. Byakuya took his place right next to her, third on the left.

The heavy doors, which had been wide open, now began to slowly swing closed. I rushed in, wanting to know what was going on, though I knew this had to be the meeting which Byakuya had mentioned.

I don't think anyone saw me hop in there, because it was dark. But it didn't really matter anyway. I could probably maybe outrun them if I was caught.

I rested in the corner of the room, where it was dark and my white fur might not be seen, and the old man started the meeting or whatever it was they were doing.

"As you now may know, there are ryouka within the Seireitei. I want all squads on alert, and zanpaku-to are now allowed to be carried wherever. Any questions?"

I wanted to say something, but if I did, a talking two-tailed cat would bring too many unwanted eyes. Yes, I could talk as a cat.

But I kept my mouth shut and hugged the left wall and made my way into Byakuya's lap. He looked down at me, and when he realized it was me, gave me a furious look. "What are you doing?" he whispered harshly as a man, directly across from us, with a bucket on his head asked a question.

"I got bored," I said back. I don't think he expected me to answer. His face was a little surprised.

"I told you to stay until you felt like you could move!"

I don't know what my face looked like, but it was supposed to have an expression that led to believe he was either blind or mentally retarded. "Well, since I'm here, it looks like I can move now," I said with a snotty tone.

"And I meant that I wanted you to stay close to the room, WITH your clothes."

"I didn't ever hear you say that. You should be more clear with your words."

He looked back up to the meeting in disgust, ending the conversation. Looks like he has a little attitude problem. Well, fine! I didn't need to talk to anyone, as long as I simply had someone to be with. He held his hand over me, shielding me from the eyes of man sitting next us, who wore a flamboyantly gaudy kosode over his uniform and had long hair and needed a shave. He knew I was there, though. But he didn't say anything.

I couldn't sleep in my cat form. If I fell asleep, I would immediately turn back into my human form. I hadn't quite got that down. But I pretended to take a cat nap as Byakuya absently stroked my fur. I purred for him, though he didn't deserve it, until the meeting was finally over Byakuya stood, holding me in his hand, to exit the room. He held me out to Retsu for her to examine me and make sure I hadn't torn anything, and we began the march back to his room.

When we were safely inside of it, he set me on the bed and I transformed back into my human self. I always forgot I wasn't wearing any clothes. Byakuya wasn't looking, though. He had gone to the closet and began to take down the kimono. He tossed it over me to hide my body, which was already healing nicely. "Put it on and don't take it off."

And he didn't re-bandage me, either. He would let the kimono layers be my bandages from then on. It was fine with me, because the bandages made me feel like I was being constricted. As I tied the obi firmly around my stomach, Byakuya opened the door to the room and looked out into the garden. I was surprised to see that the sky was already orange with the setting sun.

I hurried over behind him and looked past him. The garden outside was cast in a shadow from the wall surrounding it, the darkness not long enough to reach onto the hallway floor. The sky was pastel orange, thick clouds adding to the tranquility the expanse brought on. I loved the colors of the fading sky, as it went from orange to pink to purple to darkness.

"I want you to sleep now," Byakuya said softly.

"But the sun isn't even all the way gone yet," I argued.

"You need the rest. Please."

I huffed. "Only because you said 'please', okay?"

I don't understand why he cared whether I rested or not. He didn't know me that well. There couldn't be any connection through that. If I were him, I'd let me do whatever I wanted and hoped that whatever I did, it would get me out of my hair all the sooner. Like straining myself so hard that I died. Then again, I suppose he thought the sooner I got better, the sooner I'd leave. That was also acceptable, I supposed. But then he volunteered for it, anyway. That meant he cared what happened to me. Why?

I hugged him from behind, letting the side of my face rest on his back. He was taller than me by about a head. "Thanks for taking care of me. You know you don't have to."

"I have my reasons," he said, still in the same soft manner. "Two, to be exact."

"What are they?"

"The only one I'll tell you is that I know someone who would want you to be okay."

"Well, what's the other one?"

"I told you that I wouldn't say. Now sleep."

"Fine, be that way," I said in defeat. "Who's the person?"

"You'll see in a week or two when your clothes come back."

I growled. "You're no fun."

I let go of him and hobbled back over to the bed and lay down on it. I guess I didn't know how tired I really was after my small adventure. I fell asleep not long after my head hit the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up as stiff as a one hundred year old carcass. I wasn't as sore anymore—my wounds had healed nicely overnight, and all that was left were the scars. But the stiffness that the scars created was gut-wrenching. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and turned this way and that, cracking bones and loosening muscles.

And looking around the room, I saw that Byakuya wasn't there. On a low desk in the corner of the room I saw a lonely piece of paper. I heaved myself onto my feet and stumbled groggily over to it. I wiped the crud from my eyes and squinted to read the small, neat handwriting of Byakuya:

_Shironeko,_

_I don't want you wandering today. I want you to stay in the room. You may walk outside in the garden, but you are to go no further. We are under alert of ryouka, and I don't want you to somehow end up in a worse state than you were before. I will be back soon to feed you-- which, in fact, is another reason for you not to leave. I don't want you to slip up with a soul reaper. You may get hurt that way, also. I beg you to obey these orders. I _do _happen to care about your health._

_Byakuya Kuchiki_

I looked around the room. There was nothing to do. "Sorry, Byakuya," I said to no one in particular. Maybe at the time I was talking to myself, or maybe even to the letter. "I'll be careful, though."

My throat did indeed happen to be burning very badly. I was thirsty again and needed to drink. But, Byakuya promised he'd be back later, and a little exploring wouldn't hurt. I let the blue flames envelop me once again, and before I knew it, I was all the way on the other side of the Seireitei. And the bad thing was that I was completely lost.

It was like a maze where I was—walls everywhere with turns that led to no where. I finally gave up on the paths and had to power up into my panther-like form and hop onto the top of the walls. I went back to my kitten state and wandered on the tops of the walls from there, still having no idea where I had gone.

I happened to see a flash of a white bodied person in the distance, though, and was intrigued by it. It's not that often you see something other than black in the soul society. Then again, I suppose my white fur stood out, also, especially on those navy tiles that roofed the walls.

I caught up with the white figure easily. It turned out to be a man. He wore a tight white outfit with some sort of cape over his shoulders. It was trimmed in a medium shade of blue, and he had short dark hair with long bangs and glasses. His outfit in itself was comical enough to make me approach him and get the down-lo.

He was running for some reason, but he stopped when I jumped down from the roof to block his path. I think he thought that I was going to transform into some beast any second (I could, but I wouldn't). I pewed sweetly to assure him otherwise and licked my paw and cleaned my face cutely.

He saw the scars on my body. "Oh, you poor little thing," he cooed. "Did the people here do that to you?"

I looked at him with my head cocked to one side. I just wished I could talk to him, but I didn't want to scare him away. My mentor told me to never use my voice in my cat form to strangers.

He crouched down onto his knees and held out his hand for me to come sniff. (Why do people always do that to cats?) I bound over joyfully and gave his fingers a courtesy sniff. He smelled like thick cologne.

In turned, he stroked me down my back, and I purred lightly in gratitude of the gesture. He cupped both of his hand around me and picked me up, holding me to his chest. I rubbed my head on his hands to lure him into petting me more. Besides the cologne, there was a faint scent the seemed familiar. It was too faint to place, but just the familiarity of it made me want to revel in it. After all I'd been through, I wanted something that made me feel like I was wherever my home was.

Suddenly the burning in my throat became stronger, and I couldn't help but let my eyes be drawn to the man's neck. It was obscured by his collar, thankfully, and I wasn't able to see the pulsing vein of his neck that would make me lust for his blood.

The man patted my head. "So, I suppose you'll come with me, then?"

I pewed happily. Maybe he'd bring me back to the vicinity of Byakuya's room so I could eat and not get into trouble.

"Well, my name is Uryu. We should give you a name, too, huh?"

I wanted to give him my name, but I caught my tongue before speaking.

"I know! You have the prettiest blue eyes, like ice. And your fur is white, like snow. How about 'Blizzard'?"

I almost laughed, but I kept it in. And I couldn't reject the name, anyway, so all I could do was pew sweetly.

Uryu smiled and lifted me to his shoulder, which he deposited me on to sit, and began running again. I had no idea where he was going, and I was fairly certain that he didn't know, either. I looked down at his clothes again and couldn't believe the other Soul Reapers would let him wear such a thing.

Just then, the UGLIEST person I had ever seen rounded the corner and paused to look at us. Uryu stopped, also, and stiffened.

This guy looked sort of like a skeleton to me, his face black surrounded by a ring of white, and had a weird hat and strange golden horn thingies where his ears were supposed to be. It looked sort of like he had buck teeth, too, and golden eyes. Oh, and he was a captain.

"Oh, a ryouka? So soon?" he said in a voice that sounded like it came from a clown.

Uryu tensed immensely, and it made me uneasy, so I just hissed at him. That was probably a really stupid thing to do to a captain, but if Uryu was on guard, I figured I should be, too.

The captain cracked a smile after a few seconds of studying Uryu. "And a quincy! I thought all of them had become extinct by now. Oh, what fun research this will be!"

I hissed again, and the captain's eyes fell on me. "What a strange cat! I've never seen anything like it! What a day!"

The Captain took a step forward and I leaped off of Uryu's shoulder and let blue flames envelop me. Before I touched the ground I was full sized, my eyes almost level with the captain's.

"That's amazing!" the captain shouted. "I'll have MUCH fun dissecting you until there is no more to cut open!"

This guy was a little cuckoo. I didn't think I wanted to mess with him. I turned around to look at Uryu. He looked at me from behind his glasses in amazement. I motioned for him to get on my back, and he hesitated before he did so. He settled in the light dip of my back and leaned forward to grab my mane. I took off into the air, shooting just over the captain's head. He had no idea I could fly, and just watched us fade away in awe.

"Thanks, Blizzard," Uryu said after awhile of silence. He sighed in relief of the escape.

"No problem," I said before I could catch myself. I winced at my mistake.

"You can talk?" he asked with less surprise than I thought he would.

"I suppose so," I replied. "You're not as awed as I thought you'd be."

"Well, after I met Yoruichi, I figured anything could happen."

I gasped and stopped with a jerk, making Uryu almost fly off of me. I didn't want that to happen—seeing someone go _splat _on the ground isn't as much fun as you'd think it would be. Plus, I was still thirsty, and licking blood off of the ground around his mutilated body wouldn't be good for my image.

"You know Yoruichi?" I asked quickly, whipping my head around to face him.

"Yeah. He helped get my friends and I here."

"Is Yoruichi here right now?!"

"Yeah, but--"

"WHERE?!"

I was getting a little giddy, and I was bucking slightly.

"Calm down!" Uryu shouted, and I stilled myself with great strain. He sighed and adjusted his glasses with his middle finger. "I don't know. When we entered the Seireitei using the flower cannon, the barrier split us all up."

I remember what the faint smell coming off of Uryu reminded me of, now. It was Yoruichi. I looked around below me. "What form of hers is she in?" I asked excitedly.

"What?"

"Is she a cat or human?"

"Wait...Yoruichi is a human? And a girl?"

I was getting impatient. "Answer the question!"

"A cat!" Uryu shouted back in fright.

Okay. That would be more difficult. Black was common around here, and she was a black cat. I'd have to rely on my scent to take me to her. I wondered desperately why she was here. Did she here I was in trouble? Did she bring these people here to save me? Or was it just coincidence? She told me to stay away from the Soul Society and everything that had to do with it. Why was SHE here? Obviously, Uryu and the others he said she had brought here were not from the Soul Society. I guessed that's why the captain called Uryu a 'ryouka'.

"I don't know where you're trying to go, but I'm going to find Yoruichi."

"That's fine," Uryu said. "Take me with you. I suppose the sooner I find Yoruichi, the sooner we'll be able to find Rukia."

I guess they WEREN'T looking for me. Oh, well.

I sped off in a random direction, landing at a random spot in the maze. I sniffed around. No Yoruichi. I jumped onto the tiled roof of the walls. No Yoruichi. I leaped over to another. None. And another. Nothing. And another. Nada.

Why was Yoruichi so hard to find? She was my mentor, my master, and I desperately wanted to see her again. I worshiped her—she gave me my yukata. She taught me everything I know about fighting and what not. She gave me her blood when I needed it. She was almost like my mother.

"Where is she!" I said in frustration after I had sniffed a dozen separate places. "I can't find her scent anywhere!"

Apparently, 'anywhere' is the word that suddenly makes what your looking for show its face. Right as I finished my sentence, a strong scent wafted by my nose. It was definitely Yoruichi's scent, and it was fresh. She had been here less than five minutes ago.

Frantically, I followed her smell at a gallop. I wasn't aware of Uryu's but pounding on my back, and I wasn't even aware that of where I was going. I just knew that this trail equaled Yoruichi, and I REALLY wanted to see Yoruichi. It felt like it had been forever, even though I saw her before whatever caused me to fall from the sky occurred.

So many turns brought me to an open hill where a huge wooden shrine looking thing stood. It was immense. Byakuya was there. And I stopped. I would get in deep trouble if Byakuya stopped me. But...maybe he knew Yoruichi? I had to find out.

I approached Byakuya with Uryu still on my back. "What are you doing?" he whispered harshly. "That's a captain!"

"It's cool," I whispered back. "I know him. It's all good."

Byakuya heard my steps from a few meters away, and he turned his head only slightly to see who was coming, looking out of the corners of his eyes. They widened and he swirled around when he realized it was me with some strange guy.

"I told you to stay in bed! AND WHY IS THERE A RYOUKA ON YOUR BACK?!"

I was surprised that his pretty face could show all those emotions so intensely. Extreme anger. Extreme confusion. Extreme worry.

"Calm down," I said. "It's cool. He's with me."

"Shironeko—this is a RYOUKA," he sputtered. "He illegally entered the Soul Society!"

"So did I," I shot back.

"They have hostile intentions!"

I looked back at Uryu, who was starting to spazz. "He seems cool to me. I'm not dead yet, am I?"

Out of nowhere, another soul reaper flew in and tried to take Byakuya's head off. Byakuya dodged it easily, but it surprised me and I bucked, sending Uryu sprawling to the ground.

He had orange hair, this one did, and a huge zanpaku-to. And obviously he was no friend of Byakuya's, so I went on the offensive.

I roared tackled the guy to the ground, lurching at his neck to end his struggle, but he blocked my fangs with his immense sword. I struggled with him under me for quite some time, trying to bite past the sword to get to him, but I realized that this first attempt wouldn't word and leaped far back away from him.

Byakuya laughed from directly behind me, and it startled me. I didn't know I had jumped right in front of him like an obedient pet. "You can't even take on the cat, Ichigo?" he said, his tone heaving in mock.

"Two on one isn't fair!" Ichigo shouted back. He had jumped to his feet and was now in an attack stance.

"I would rather her not fight, but let's just see how you do against her," Byakuya said back

I was awed that he'd let me fight after I had just gotten to the point where I could walk without pain.

"Well, aren't you cruel? Your little cat looks injured! You'd risk animal cruelty charges?"

"No, but it's the fact I'd let you fight an injured cat that counts. It's how certain I am that you wouldn't beat ME. Test your strength first. If you aren't able to beat the cat, then you won't be able to beat me."

"Very well, then," Ichigo said arrogantly. "Come on, then, kitty. Show me what you got!"

I was actually confused, then, and looked back at Byakuya. "Go on. Since you're so sure you're well enough to be out, fight."

Oh, I got it. It was my punishment for disobeying him.

I turned back to Ichigo and roared, my fur standing on its ends, my tails puffed up to make me look bigger than I was. I let my blue flames surround me, readying me for combat.

"Oh, a scary kitty, then?" Ichigo said. "This will me fun. A stupid cat against a smart human!"

I roared again. "Shut up!" I screamed, lunging for him.

I don't know if it was the lunge or my voice that caught him by surprise, but either way, it caught him off guard and in allowed my to sink my teeth into his left side. His warm blood flooded my mouth, and I suddenly realized that I was hurting a person, making him bleed. But, then again, I was taught to defend the innocent. Byakuya was innocent enough, right? And they were both Soul Reapers, anyway. I say take the side of the one that keeps you alive. Alive equals Byakuya. Dead equals Ichigo.

So I graciously let his warm, rich blood fill my mouth. I jerked away from him, leaping behind him a few feet, taking his tough, meaty flesh with me. I sucked the meat dry of its blood and gulped it down greedily, thankful at the least for a fresh meal. At least I was taking down, what was in my view, a bad person.

Ichigo staggered and fell to his knee, stabbing his sword into the ground so he had a something sturdy to hold onto to keep himself from completely collapsing. "God dammit!" he yelled, holing his bleeding side. I took the chance to leap back to him, thinking I could steal another bloody chunk from him, but he yanked his zanpaku-to out of the ground and tried to carve me in half long ways. I dodged under the blade, feeling it graze my mane, and lunged for his right arm.

My larger fang sank right through his arm, and I felt it graze the bone. Ichigo screamed in pain, and with his free fist he pounded the top of my head. I released my grip on his arm and bounded away a few paces, and watched him rub the newer bite wounds I had created.

"You can't even take on my cat," Byakuya said emotionlessly. HIS cat?

"The stupid thing is trickier than I thought!" STUPID?

"If I'm so stupid, then why am I winning?! Huh, STUPID?!" I shouted back angrily.

"JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" he yelled, throwing himself at me. At the last second he flew to the right of me and took a swing, but I was too fast and ducked, sinking my teeth into his right side. I ripped the flesh away from there, too, and bounded a few paces away to suck the meat dry before spitting it onto the ground. His blood was delicious, and I loved the extra silky texture it had, and how warm it was. It was saltier than normal, but I figured it was just his sweat, and dubbed that it added extra flavoring to it.

I was surprised I hadn't gotten hurt yet. But I was enjoying the chance to get out into a real fight for once, and the thrilling sensation of predator and prey. Drool lined my mouth now, and it fell out of my open jaw gluttonously. I stalked in to finish him off. I would seal off my thirst for blood so well, that I wouldn't have to drink for weeks.

"TEIRYU!" Someone screamed. I had been trained to react to that word in a certain way, and I did it almost instinctively. The blue flames devoured me and brought me back to my human self, and I turned toward the voice on my hands and knees and bowed so deeply my face crammed itself into the ground.

I was surprised I had heard that command. Only one person knew that it stopped me. I lifted my head to see Yoruichi in full glory, standing not too far away. Her dark skin was so milky, and her long dark hair was tied back into its normal pony tail, and her tight clothing, the loose orange shirt over the one with no back, was the same as it always would be, as would the off-white scarf she wore.

She was looking at me sadly and with disbelief. I lifted my head a little higher to look back at her in confusion. I understand her being disappointed that I would hurt someone, but never had she looked at me like this. What did I do?

"Shironeko...what happened to you? Why have you done this to Ichigo?" Hearing her voice would have been heaven, but the soft disappointment in it made me want to cry.

"Yoru Sensei...he was attacking Byakuya...they're both Soul Reapers, but Byakuya saved my life...I--" I didn't know what to say. I was so confused. Was Ichigo on Yoruichi's side?

Yoruichi looked over at Byakuya in astonishment. "Why would you take her? You knew she was mine."

I blinked. He did?

"That's why I saved her. I wasn't sure it was her when I saw her as a cat, but when she fell unconscious as a human, I knew it was her. And I found her clothes not far away. I knew you had made them, and that sealed it. I had sent the clothes back to you, but you weren't there, so they were left with someone else until you got back."

"Why would you do that, still? You could have ended her life."

"That would not be very fair. You really didn't do anything to harm me in the long run, and ending someone's life that does not deserve it is wrong."

"But you know what she is."

"I believe you taught her well."

"Why does she have scars, then?"

Byakuya was silent for a moment. "She was like that when I found her. I believe she doesn't know, either."

Yoruichi looked back at me. "Neko, come."

I got up and ran to her absently. Her scent drifted over my nose when I got closer, and I wanted to cry again. I was just happy to see her, but I was pretty sure she was everything but happy to see ME. Even when I knelt at her feet. I kept my eyes from her.

"You're not as happy to see me as I am you," I said, lamenting.

"I am, it's just I'm a little upset you would do this, and I'm worried for your health."

I was still confused. She made a gun with her thumb and forefinger and twisted it in the air. It was the signal for me to transform back into my cat form. I obeyed immediately, and before the flames even dispersed from my tiny body, she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck with her thumb and forefinger, placing me on her shoulder. She then leaped over to Ichigo, who had collapsed, and threw him over her other shoulder.

"It's just like you to turn one of my own against me," Yoruichi said quietly. "It won't happen again."

"We'll see."

And Yoruichi flew off with me snuggling into her neck sadly.


	4. Chapter 4

I suddenly found myself in a large, empty room with a lonely wardrobe-like piece against the wall opposite the door. A slight breeze wrapped itself around my body, licking around my ankles and pushing me to go inside. I subconsciously moved purposefully towards the wardrobe, feeling myself unable to be deterred from it. As I got closer, I saw a picture in the mouth. A very pretty lady with medium length black hair and big, glowing blue eyes stared back at me. In the reflection of the glass from the picture I did not see myself; I saw Byakuya. Yet, I was seeing as him.

"Hisana," he whispered, getting on his knees in prayer. "There is not a day that goes by I do not think of you. Especially now after what has happened. But...I hope that you do not mind if I move on. I still miss you dearly."

An unclear image came to me inside of my mind. If I was more of Byakuya, I know I would have been able to see it clearly. The image was a mixture of blue, purple, gold, and an off-whitish peach color. It was too fizzy for myself to make out. And then Byakuya said my name—at least, it sounded like he did. It was soft and mumbled.

And I jolted awake, jumping slightly as my eyes shot open. I say up quickly and looked around. Was that a dream? Did I have an out of body experience? It all felt so real...

Sitting up and looking around, I saw that I was lying on the bleached dirt of a desert scene, rocks and boulders the only company. Besides Yoruichi and an unconscious Ichigo, of course. I recognized this place as the location where I had trained under Yoruichi's hand.

Yoruichi happened to be sitting on the top of a rock that loomed directly over me, looking down to watch me sleep. "You're awake, then?" she asked jubilantly.

My neck craned to watch her hair flow gently with the slight breeze. "I suppose so," I replied back, a little more groggy than I meant to. Wait...had I fallen asleep?

"It's just like you to fall asleep right in the middle of flight," she said with a knowing smirk, as if she read my mind. "I had been expecting it, anyway. You do it all the time."

I scowled, knowing she had meant that as an indirect insult. "Your shoulder is relaxing."

A huge smile broke across her face and she giggled. "You're cute when you sleep," she commented, hoping it would allow forgiveness to her insult. I could never be mad at my teacher, and she has forgiveness before she even does anything.

"So I've heard," I said with a sigh.

Looking down at myself, I saw I had a freshly made yukata on—exactly like the one Yoruichi had given me. "You like?" Yoruichi asked. "It's the spare I made. I knew you'd destroy the other at some point."

"I didn't mean to," I said sullenly, lifting the collar of the outfit to my face to rub its soft lining on my cheek. The smell on it was thick and heavy of Yoruichi. I loved how Yoruichi smelled.

Ichigo was not too far away from me, propped up on a rock, fully bandaged. "We have to train him," Yoruichi explained. Her voice was serious now. "I had originally brought him and his friends here to rescue one of their friends. If I had known that where you had disappeared to was here, I would have come for you."

A sigh made its way out of my mouth. "I don't even remember how I got here," I whispered. "I fell from the sky into a garden in the Seireitei. That's all I remember."

Yoruichi hopped down off of the rock and sat herself down beside me, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Just promise you won't run away again without telling me where you're going," she said softly. "It may not look like it, but I care about you a lot." She pulled me into her so she could lean her head on mine. "I was really worried about you."

I put both of my arms around her and turned my head into her clothes so she couldn't see my face, and let a few tears roll from my eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I did, but I shouldn't have done it."

She rubbed my back, feeling my tears soak through her shirt, and shushed me. "It's okay, now. We'll be out of here soon."

Ichigo suddenly stirred, grunting as he moved around uncomfortably. I straightened myself up, determined not to let anyone else see my tears, and wiped my face on my hands. (I didn't want to ruin Yoruichi's beautiful yukata again).

Yoruichi got up after patting me on the back, walking over to him. He opened his eyes to see her standing there, and yelped. "Just who the hell are you?!"

"It's me, Yoruichi, idiot."

"Yoruichi is a cat!" he shouted back. I chuckled. I didn't think he didn't know she was a person.

She sighed and transformed into a cat. Her clothes fell around her, and she sat on her haunches impatiently. "Does that satisfy you?" Her voice was deep now, like a man's voice.

Ichigo scowled, the tiny wheels in his head debating on whether to believe her or not. "How is it you sound like a guy as a cat, then, if you're a girl?"

"The art of disguise."

Ichigo scoffed. "Whatever."

Yoruichi got back onto her feet and transformed back into a human. She was naked, of course, and Ichigo yelped. "Could you put your clothes back on?! NOW?!"

Yoruichi threw her head back and laughed. "Don't tell me you've never seen a girl naked."

"Just put some freaking clothes on! It's not natural!"

Yoruichi lightened her laugh to a giggle. "Oh, you know you like it."

"JUST PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!!"

Yoruichi shrugged, pulling her clothes back on with a big smile. When she was done dressing, she put a hand on Ichigo's orange head, him still sitting on the ground from his unconscious state. His eyes went past her to me, for some reason, and he looked at me with apprehension. She looked over her shoulder at me and motioned with her head for me to come over, and I obeyed. "This is Shironeko. She's the one that nearly killed you."

"You mean the panther?!" he exclaimed. I nodded.

"Sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't know you were with Yoruichi."

He growled, shooting a death glare at me, and I frowned and looked away. Yoruichi clenched his hair in the hand that was still placed on his head, and yanked. He cried out in pain. "Stop it. She's a sweet kid, and I want you to treat her as your equal."

My eyes were drawn unconsciously to his bandages, which were thick with blood. At first, they didn't bother me, but the burn in my throat hit me powerfully. I was far enough away from him to resist luring him into a false situation, and I'd have to stay away from him until I could tell Yoruichi of my thirst. Thinking about it, I looked down at my body and saw that my scars were almost invisible now. Today and tomorrow would be my last two drinks for the next week.

"Fine," Ichigo spat. "Only because she apologized."

"You're such a kid," Yoruichi said, walking over to what looked like a scarecrow and setting it up.

"What's that for?"

"We have to teach you Bankai."

Yoruichi explained about the dummy, called a Tenshintai, and it's ability to help a soul reaper reach Bankai in a matter of three days. But, if the user has failed to reach Bankai in three days, the user would die. "And all you have to do is hit it with your zanpaku-to."

"Shouldn't you wait a little bit for that?" I asked. "He should get better first."

Yoruichi shook her head. "There's no time. They moved up Rukia's execution date again. I healed him to the best of my abilities. He'll be fine."

"Wait—execution?!"

"Just never mind, Neko," Yoruichi said.

I shut my mouth. I guessed that if Yoruichi really wanted me to know, she would have told me by now. I could live with the information I already had, anyway. Some girl Ichigo likes is getting executed in the soul society, and he's trying to rescue her, but everyone else was obviously in the way and he had to be strong enough to beat them. And some of that I just guessed on.

Ichigo stood up painfully, wincing as he shrugged off the stiffness of his wounds. The wind blew my way, and the stench of his dried blood wafted teasingly past my nose. I stiffened, trying to ignore it. I had tasted his blood before, and it was good. But I had to resist, for Yoruichi. But Ichigo taunted me with his struggle. The predator in me whispered to pounce on him. "Such easy prey," it said. But I had to ignore it.

He shoved his sword through the scarecrow, and after that I had to ignore Ichigo completely, not looking at him. He was starting to sweat, and it reminded of the vivid silky aftertaste that came with his blood. My throat seared with it's dryness, urging me to go in for just a little taste. But I didn't, still. I pushed away the thoughts with detest, wanting nothing more than for my mind to be at peace.

"What's the matter?" Yoruichi asked after awhile.

I snapped out of my trance of ignoring everything and looked around to find that Ichigo had left. "Where did he go?" I asked.

"You really were out of it, weren't you?" she asked. "With all that commotion, I'm surprised you didn't see him leave. You're such a daydreamer."

I frowned again. "Yoruichi, I'm really thirsty."

Her mocking smile fell. "Oh. I guess that's why you weren't paying attention, then." She looked around. "Well, there's no one else here, so you'll have to drink from me."

I shook my head. "I can wait. I'm never drinking from you again."

The memories from so long ago, when I used to feed off of her, came flooding back. She would cut her arm and let me suck up a mouthful of blood once a week. I hated it, having to drink from my own mentor back then. But that was years ago, and after I learned to find blood on my own, I vowed to never take from Yoruichi again.

"You're still recovering from your injuries. You need it," she insisted, getting out a small knife. My eyes widened.

"Yoruichi, no!" I shouted. "I'm not letting you hurt yourself for me! Never again!"

She smiled. "Then bite me yourself," she said casually, pulling away her scarf and the collar of her shirt to reveal her perfect neck. I stared at the pulsing vein with greed, noticing how clean and tender the flesh covering it was.

"No!" I cried, clenching my eyes tight to block the image out.

"It's either that or I cut myself for you."

She always made things difficult! She was so stubborn! "Yoruichi, please stop! This isn't funny!"

I crouched down and put my face into my knees, and I heard Yoruichi's footsteps gracefully make their way next to me. She crouched in front of me and pulled me into her chest. I collapsed onto my knees and we went into a soft embrace. She still smelled as nice as she always had, but the scent just made my throat burn now, bringing the image of the soft flesh of her neck, then of how delicious her blood had tasted when she graciously let me feed off of her. Not only that, but I had vowed to never drink from another woman.

"You need it, Shironeko," Yoruichi said again. "Are you going to bite me, or will I have to cut myself?"

"Please don't cut yourself again," I said, starting to cry. "You're my teacher, my Sensei, and seeing you bleed like that, for ME, is the worst thing I can imagine."

"If you bite me, you wouldn't have to see me bleed. The bite marks would heal with your venom."

"No, but the thought of you losing more blood for me..."

Yoruichi grabbed my face in both of her hands and forced me to look into her beautiful golden eyes. I wished I had eyes like those. "If you detest seeing me bleed so badly, bite me or I'll make you."

"You can't do that," I said weakly. "There's no way you can--"

And she forcibly pressed her lips to mine, cutting me off in mid-sentence. Her lips were soft and inviting, and I wanted to kiss back, but it was wrong, and the action froze me into shock. She pulled away and looked at me sadly. I stared back at her with wide, scared eyes. "I'll make you bite me whether you want to or not." I knew what she was trying to do—getting me to bite her in the usual way I drink from a guy.

She put her lips back to mine, gently this time, holding my face so I couldn't move. I was still, anyway, my muscles locked in place. This was way wrong. Wronger than the wrongest wrong in the grammar of this sentence. Her lips were just so soft, I couldn't help but kiss back.

I clenched the back of her shirt in both of my fists, leaning into her. She released my face then and placed her arms around my neck, pulling me into her as close as possible. My mind was racing with how wrong this was, doing this with my teacher, let alone someone of the same sex.

She opened her lips and the full brunt of her scent filled my mouth, the delicious taste of cocoa butter and sugar. (My favorite flavor was artificial coconut, or pina colada, if you didn't know). The thoughts evaporated instantly, replaced with lust for the new experience of taste.

My lips pulled away from hers, placing themselves just below her jaw. I wasn't aware that I was working my way down her neck, like she wanted, but that's how this worked so well with me. When I get caught in the moment, I work my way down until my fangs are just over the pulsing vein in the neck, and the rushing scent of blood would drive me to bare my fangs and feed.

Which is exactly what I did. The flesh of her neck was as soft as it looked to the eye, if not softer. I didn't know what she did to keep the skin so tender, but it invited me to graze my fangs on it. I felt Yoruichi shiver, and it sent an extra thrill rushing through me. Her breathing was heavy and panted, trying to catch her breath, and it made her vein pulse all the faster. I nuzzled her collar and scarf well out of the way and cupped my lips over it lightly to feel it beat. The quickness with which it pulsed. My throat burned, urging me to fill my mouth with rushed inside of it.

And I pushed my fangs into it deeply. I felt specks of blood squeeze out from under them, and when pulled them out of the flesh, her silky blood, even better than it had been before, exploded into my mouth. I didn't suck for more to come out; I let it ooze slowly from the puncture wounds, savoring every drop of gold that leaked out. When my mouth was half full, I was becoming impatient with it and wanted more. A sucked as hard as I could, and the blood shot out and filled my mouth. I swallowed and felt the burning in my throat disappear.

I kept my lips on the bleeding flesh for a moment longer, the placed my fangs back into the puncture wounds to use my venom to heal the wounds.

Which is when I finally realized what I had just done. "I can't believe you did that to me," I said, panting. I felt my face grow hot.

"It got you to feed, though, didn't it?"

My face must have been a tomato. "But, that was wrong, so wrong," I said, looking away from her.

"It wasn't wrong to me," Yoruichi said casually, putting an arm around my shoulder again and pulling me in. "You don't have to be embarrassed. No one else is around. Ichigo has to be at least a mile away now."

"I'm not embarrassed!" I shouted, frowning.

Yoruichi kissed me on the cheek, and I tried to pull away from her, but she was much stronger than I was, and I couldn't escape. I started crying. "Please let go of me," I said in defeat, loosening up. I felt the hot salty tears track down my cheeks.

"Don't cry," Yoruichi said softly. She pulled me into a hug. "It's not bad."

"Yes it is," I argued, not putting my arms around her in return. "That was the wrongest thing in the history of wrong."

"What about genocide?"

She was going to start her speech on Hitler again. But I didn't want to hear it.

"I know," I said in a harsh tone. "'Nothing is bad if the target is willing, if you don't kill someone, or you need it to survive'."

"Good," Yoruichi whispered, kissing my cheek again. "Now I'll let you go if you hug me."

I grudgingly put my arms around her. To my surprise, it made me feel better. I hugged her tighter, letting more tears flow out and be sucked up into Yoruichi's clothing.

"It'll be okay."

"Yeah, but I'm confused now," I mumbled.

"About what?"

"Nothing," I said after a moment of silence.

"Tell your Sensei."

"I'm confused about you."

Yoruichi pulled away to look me in my red, puffy eyes. "Confused about what?"

I stared at her with my sullen face, waiting for the bulb to lick on in her head. A smile went on her face after awhile, and she laughed. "I love you very much," she said softly. And then I was just more confused. But I didn't say that, because I knew that then she would say something that would confuse me more, so I'd just let it sit for awhile until I plugged everything in myself.


End file.
